A
fascinating journey on horseback, crossing the Alps!
Thank you
Ana Cláudia Mairhofer and Agro Maripá for sharing your amazing journey!
(c) Story
& Photos copyright by : Agro Maripá
! ALPS
One more time we set ourselves in another adventure with our horses Patek and
Urano de Maripá. This time we crossed the Alps with our friends Astrid
Oberniedermayr and Dieter Mader, both riding Ourofino El Far.Since the horses
are based in Morlenbach, Germany, taking part on the Vitrine of the Mangalarga
Marchador Project, and due to the exceptional performance of Patek’s and
Urano’s on the Santiago Way, in Spain, in May last year, we have decided to
test them again.
We left
Lechbruck, Bavaria, South of Germany, on a rainy and cold, (around 9oC)
morning, May 13th 2012. Seven days and 240km later we arrived in Castel Juval,
Northern Italy, where we ended our trip. We rode through Oberammergau, Lermoos,
Imst, Lafairs, Reschen, Laas. Once more our horses bet themselves proving all
their resilience, courage, docility, providing us with great pleasure during
the whole trip. They have not only improved our repertoire but also enriched
our genetics knowledge.
On the
first day, Sunday, May 13th, after leaving Lechbruck, we rode to Wieskirsche,
The Pilgrimage Church of the Scourged Saviour, at the foot of the Alps,
considered one of the most perfect examples of Bavarian rococo architecture. At
the end of the day and 27km later we arrived at Oberammergau, little village
famous for its production of a Passion Play performed every ten years, as well
as for its wood carves. The Oberammergau Passion Play was first performed in
1634 and is the result of a vow made by the inhabitants of the village that if
God spared them from the effects of the bubonic plague then sweeping the region
they would perform a passion play every ten years.
Second
day, Monday May 14th, we left at around 9 in the morning and from Oberammergau
we rode to Lermoos, Austrian village in the Tirol area, 35km away. On this day,
during the whole ride we had a privileged view of the Zugspitze, the highest
mountain in Germany. Gorgeous trail, on valleys in the midst of the mountains,
crossing thaw lakes and rivers and yellow flowered meadows. Breathtaking landscapes!
Horses in great shape!
From
Lermoos, on the third day we rode to Imst, 27km away. This one a rather
difficult trail, on “Via Claudia”, a Roman Way that passes through the most
beautiful places, one of them the Fernstein Lake and its turquoise waters,
located in the midst of the Wetterstein Mountains.
Fourth
day dawned extremely cold, snowy, windy. We then opted to send the horses on
the truck to the next destination, Lafairs, 40km away, where the weather was
milder. We drove there, had lunch at the hotel, and then rode around 18km in
the afternoon in the surroundings of the hotel.
Fifth
day, ride from Lafairs to Reschen, about 30km away. Gorgeous sunny day,
although very cold. Beautiful trip! Again stunning landscapes during the whole
tour, passing by Altfinstermünz, a castle literally squeezed between the
mountain and the river. We crossed the border with Italy and then rode through
Vinschgau Valley, the valley around the river Adige, South Tirol. We arrived at
the end of the day to a little hotel by Reschen Lake, run by a family. We had a
delicious and fun dinner overlooking a beautiful sunset in front of us at the
other side of the lake, remembering the stories of the day! Good food and
beautiful photos “catch of the day”made by our friend Sabine Stuewer!
Sixth
day, 35km ride from Reschen to Laas. We rode through Vinschgau Valley, crossing
apple plantations and little villages. Beautiful day, much warmer, beautiful
mountains on the left and on the right sides, the Ötztal Alps. Our horses
keeping their excellent condition so far! They are really in great shape,
forward and without any symptom of stress!
On this
seventh and last day of ride, Saturday, May 19th, we rode 28km from Laas to
Castel Juval, our final destination. Warm sunny day, around 20oC. This was a
“flat ride” as we kept riding on the Vinschgau Valley, crossing many apple
plantations. We stopped for lunch on a typical Tyrolean restaurant on the
mountains, rode back down to the valley and kept our track to Castle Juval.
This one was quite a climb, the ride uphill to access to the Castle! Narrow
trail, full of loose stones, and really steep. I am not comfortable in steep
places like that one, so I didn’t dare look down one single moment. But my
horse Urano, who was not disturbed at all by that, had a memorable performance.
So did Patek. They both got up there at the castle 20 minutes later as if
nothing different had happened. Evidence of this is a little movie our friend
Tiziana Ricci made with her cell phone of our horses climbing up another little
track to get upper hill on a nice spot in front of the entrance of the castle
and pose for Sabine’s cameras!
Our
friends, Astrid Oberniedermayr, president of the European Association of
Mangalarga Marchador - EAMM - and Dieter Mader, director of sports and
training, coordinated the entire project providing the necessary logistics.
This structure was essential to the success of our Ride in the Alps. Unforgettable
trip!
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